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Mk1 Design
1/200 Arizona DX Pack


 

Reviewed November 2017
by Martin J Quinn
KA Models/Mk1 Design has released an upgrade set for the 1/200 Trumpeter Arizona, set MD-20001.   The set includes five (5) sheets of photo-etch and a three piece wooden deck. 

Click to enlarge images
(image above from the KA models website)
THE DECK
The wooden deck is made up of three pieces.  The largest runs from the bow to the break in the main deck.   The second largest piece is the quarterdeck, while the smallest piece is the boat deck.   This third piece - the boat deck - was missing from my sample.  The decks are paper thin and look very nice.   There are staggered planks rendered in the deck and subtle variations in the wood tone.  There is also margin planking around the barbettes, the pedestal for the aft catapult and along the deck edge, which is a nice touch. 

The undersides of the decks have a clear layer of film over adhesive used for attaching the deck to the model.   I peeled some off on a scrap piece of deck.  It's not easy to remove, so be careful when removing the backing, lest you damage the deck.   While I can't speak to how they'll fit, the decks should look good on the finished model. 

FRET A
Fret A is the largest fret in the set.  It contains only railings, mostly for the main deck.   There is etched detail detail on the parts, including drooped chain link between stanchions.   This should look impressive on the finished model, and add a nice touch of realism. 
FRET B
On Fret B, there is more railing, ladders, facings for the spotting tops and detail parts for the boats.   The stanchions on the railings appear to be relief etched to make them stand out, while there is relief etching around the spotting top windows.   If you look closely, you'll also see raised rivet detail on the spotting top parts!  The ladders have small nubs on them, which, when bent, will enable the ladder to leave a realistic gap between the ladder rungs and the surface of the ship. 
FRET C
You'll find both of the booms and braces for the midship cranes, the turret catapult, details for the undersides of the spotting tops and tripod mast platforms, the prominent lattice yard arms Arizona carried, as well as details for the 5"/25 cal AA guns.  Detail is very well done, with lots of relief etching. 
FRET D
Here on Fret D is the aft aircraft handling crane, the aft catapult, accommodation ladders, details for the turret barbettes and details for the ships boats (oars).   Again - very nice relief etching abounds.   The rails around the turret barbettes look especially delicate. 
FRET E
Our final fret - Fret E - is the smallest fret in the set.   This includes the chaffing plates for the anchors, inclined ladders, cable reels and rails for the amidships boat cranes.   The chaffing plate for the anchor chain has planking detail on it.  It's finely etched, but I don't know enough about Arizona to know if that is an accurate rendition. 
INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are four pages, laid out on two, double sided, glossy 8 1/2 x 11 pages.   Page one shows drawings of some of the sub assemblies of the catapults and cranes.  The other three pages show color pictures of the Trumpeter model with the parts installed, with the part numbers and arrows showing where those parts go on the aforementioned kit. 
CONCLUSIONS
If you are building the Trumpeter 1/200 USS Arizona, you'll want this set.  Between the wooden deck and the photo-etch, there is  plenty of fine detail packed into one detail set.   It should provide all you need to make a fine rendition of this historic and tragic ship.    The only drawback - for me - was the missing deck.  I'll reach out to KA Models to try and rectify that. 

This is Mk1 Design's 1/200 DX Pack for the Trumpeter Arizona. The set retails for $189.00, and is available from many of our sponsors. Thanks to KA Models for the review sample. Highly recommended. 




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